Just a Dream
by TheHouseKey
Summary: L wakes up after everything's done to find that it had all been an elaborate dream. It may have been a dream, but L has to make sure nothing like it happens in the real world. Spoilers!
1. Extended Sleep

**Story**: Just a Dream  
**Chapter**: 1 - "Re-Orientation"  
**Part**: A - "Extended Sleep"

* * *

_"It's been fun, Light Yagami."_

Dark eyes shot open in amazement. Where was he? How did he get here? There were leads on his chest, a machine beeping to his right. He recognized the room as his bedroom in his basement apartment, but he wasn't in it often. This was impossible. He'd _died_.

No. No, he couldn't have died. If he had, there was a 100% chance he wouldn't be awake right now. But Kira had killed him. No, _Rem_ had killed him. Because he had discovered that Misa was killing people after Higuchi died.

Which meant that Light was Kira. But Near and Mello had figured that out. And then Ryuk had written Light's name in his Death Note. How had he seen all that if he died six years ago?

He turned his heavy head to the end table to his left. A newspaper lay there, dated November of 2006. But Light's reign of terror ended in 2013. Why leave an old newspaper near his bed?

"Lazarus Lawless?" A head poked in.

His first thought was 'Matsuda?' But this young man was certainly not Matsuda. His hair was brown and he wore an orderly's uniform. His large eyes spoke of surprise and relief.

Lazarus Lawless? That alias wasn't on any record. Quillsh wouldn't have picked an alias so close to the real thing. What was going on? "I'm awake, if that's why you're here." He shifted his weight and bent his knees beneath him. Back in his crouch, L felt 40% better.

"I'm Dr. Ken Larson, Mr. Lawless. I was called in to make sure you were faring well after your rest."

A doctor? "Dr. Larson, is it? What is the date today?"

The doctor looked slightly put out of place. "Well, you see, I was half-hoping you could tell me that. As a part of --"

"Yes, yes. I understand. To make sure there was no memory loss or confusion. Let me make this easy on you. I'm very confused. By my calculations, today ought to be January 28th, 2013. But why would there be a backdated newspaper beside my bed for 2006?"

"By your calculations? Mr. Lawless, you must've been dreaming."

Dreaming? Not dead? Understandable.

"You've been asleep for 18 and a half hours."

L's head reeled. He'd never slept that long. Most people never slept that long. Even when he was younger, he'd only be asleep for 4 hours at the most. The longest he'd ever slept was five and a half, and that was because Quillsh had slipped him a sleeping pill when he'd caught the flu.

"That's why you're here," Dr. Larson continued, now taking notes from the different machines. "Mr. Wammy was worried when you'd been asleep for 6 hours. He moved you into this bedroom with the proper medical equipment to monitor your vitals."

Something was still not making sense. "Has Kira been caught?"

The young doctor stopped miscible and started at L. "Kira? What's a Kira?"

'Really," thought L. His mind spun at a million miles a minute. The whole Kira case must not have happened, yet. "I need to speak to Mr. Wammy," he declared.

"I'm afraid that's impossible, Mr. Lawless," Larson replied. "He had a heart attack twelve and a half hours into your slumber."

"What?"

"He's in critical condition at the local hospital. I was called in shortly after that to check on you periodically."

So he was still alive. Not Kira, but a coincidence. How had he known? Had Quillsh's heart attack occurred while he was in L's apartment? That must've been it. He must've overheard the whole thing and it incorporated itself into his dream. "Can you get me his stand-in?" he requested.

Larson nodded as he started turning off the machines. "Sure. And you can pull off the leads. Now that you're awake, I'm satisfied that you're okay." L began pulling them off. "Just.. try to sleep a little more each night so that your body doesn't have to force you into a nineteen hour coma. Don't overexert yourself, either, as you may have been asleep that long to combat some disease."

"Thank you, Dr. Larson," he replied to the retreating doctor's back.

While it was highly improbable that L could make himself sleep more, he did value the young doctor's opinion.

A woman entered his room a little after the doctor left. She appeared to be in her late thirties, with her graying hair pulled back in a bun.

"Mrs. Kainen, I had hoped I wouldn't have to turn to you," he greeted.

She smiled a kind smile, like a doting mother's to her favorite child. "I hoped for the same. We can trust that this is only temporary, I think."

"Then it was you who gave that doctor the alias of Lazarus Lawless?" he assumed.

"Why, yes. Quillsh had left no note as to your preferred alias, so I had to make one up for you."

"In the future, please use one of the aliases on record. And, if circumstances occur where you must make one up, please try to make it less conspicuous." He paused enough for a look of slight embarrassment to cross Mrs. Kainen's face, and then he moved on. "To business, then." L gestured towards the desk across from his bed. She sat down and folded her hands together expectantly.

"I want surveillance cameras placed around Daikoku Private Academy's front courtyard. There ought to be a team watching from the positions between the hours of 8 AM and 4 PM Monday through Friday. They're looking for this." He grabbed the newspaper and a pen from his end table and quickly sketched. He held it up for her to see when he was finished.

"Death Note?" Mrs. Kainen repeated.

"Yes. This little black notebook may show up in that high school's yard any day, now. We need those cameras set up immediately. From the team, I will select the person I find the most trustworthy. Should the notebook appear, that person will retrieve the notebook and keep everyone else from coming in contact with it. All cameras should then be disconnected, and everyone reports back here if everything goes smoothly. Is that understood?"

"Daikoku Private Academy. That's in Japan, isn't it?"

"Yes."

"Alright. I'll have the agent files sent to you within the hour."

"Thank you."

"Is there anything else?"

L thought for a moment. On one hand he wanted to check for himself, but on the other, he'd much rather hear it from someone else. "Look up a Japanese high school student of Daikoku for me. Light Yagami. In Japan, the last names are first, so search for Yagami Raito. His father is Yagami Soichiro, chief of police in the Kanto region."

"Yes, sir." She stood up and left without another word.

* * *

Could it be? I'm alive? WHAT? Haha, sorry about my lack of activity elsewhere, ladies and gentlemen. I'm using the anime's timeline, not the manga. I have not had the chance to read the manga. Uhhhh, there will be no yaoi here. Just saying. Probably very little romance as this story is L-centered and the L in my head just doesn't have enough space in his head for romance.

L: Well, when you add in the mousy one later, there's a 30% chance some space in my head could clear up...

O.o Uh no. Maybe. Probably not. Stop trying to control my story!!! . Murrr.... Oh well. Hope you enjoy!!!


	2. Questioned Existence

**Story**: Just a Dream  
**Chapter**: 1 - "Re-Orientation"  
**Part**: B - "Questioned Existence"

* * *

_"Look up a Japanese high school student of Daikoku for me. Light Yagami. In Japan, the last names are first, so search for Yagami Raito. His father is Yagami Soichiro, chief of police in the Kanto region."_

An envelope with a post-it was shoved under his door fifteen minutes later. The post-it read, "Be back in 15 minutes later with tea and food." As he shuffled through the agent files, he figured he couldn't really argue with tea and food, could he?

Though there was technically no evidence that Death Notes existed, L couldn't take the chance. That little note had meant his death. His betrayal. If he was being paranoid, they'd know in about a month. By L's timeline, Kira would kill several convicts by the month's end. If no notebook was picked up by then, that was proof that it was all an elaborate dream.

A knock at the door startled him out of his reverie. "Come in," he allowed.

Mrs. Kainen entered, carrying a tray of cakes and sweets along with tea. L's eyes grew wide in wonder. He hadn't noticed before, but he was very hungry. "What have you found for me?" he asked as he arranged a plate with a little bit of everything.

"No such person as Yagami Raito exists. Neither does Yagami Soichiro. The chief of police in the Kanto region is Tanaka Saburo, and he has a daughter Akiko who's a sophomore in college."

L breathed a sigh of relief. That meant that even if the Death Note appeared, Light would not be there to plan is demise. In one respect, he was slightly disappointed. Light had been a formidable opponent with the Death Note. Without it, he'd been a fond friend. L shrugged it off. There was a reason he didn't have friends. That dream proved it. If nothing else, being that close to somebody meant they could hurt you. L just couldn't allow that. Too much counted on him.

"Have you looked over the agents' files I gave you?" Kainen asked.

"Yes. I'd like you to approach these six with Quillsh's computer so I can speak to them." He handed her the six pages.

The first page was headed with the name Robert (Bob) Tucker. He was a middle-aged American man. His file gave him 4 years in the military, and 18 years working for this organization. Behind this page was Natalia (Talia) Richardson. She'd just joined the force last year. Her picture struck L as unnaturally open, wide-eyed and innocent. He picked her because of her intelligence scores. Next was Kurt Watson. Even the file listed him as a smart ass. He was part Japanese, and looked it, so he could blend in with the crowd should something go wrong. George Lewis' file was behind Kurt's. He was the oldest L had chosen, as he was to be the balance to Kurt's volatile recklessness. Susan Carter's file was also in the pile. She'd worked with different surveillance equipment her whole life. Finally, Janis Rupert would join the group. She was an expert marksman, and had spectacular eyesight. L suspected there'd be no need for shooting, but with her eyesight, she'd be able to spot a black notebook from further away.

"Very well. Expect the call coming to your computer around two thirty. In the mean time, the cameras are ordered and will be shipped here by tomorrow morning."

"Excellent. Thank you." It was a dismissal, but she didn't leave.

"Laz," she said. "When did you learn of this Death Note?"

Of course he would look foolish if he said in a dream. "I've known about it for a while." Which was a half-truth, given his knowledge of Japanese mythology.

"Why search for it now, all of a sudden?"

Quillsh had obviously not given Mrs. Kainen the "L is mysterious; don't ask questions" talk. L would have to remind him to do that once he recovered. "Quillsh's heart attack brought it to the forefront. If it's going to be a threat, it will be soon. If nothing happens in the next month, it's obvious that this Death Note is not something we have to worry about."

Satisfied with that, Mrs. Kainen left L to devour the rest of the sugary confections remaining on the tray.

-One Week Later-

Schmitt Lita yawned. This class was so boring. She already spoke English fluently, as her dad was American. That, and no one cared about the Bible any more. She groaned quietly to herself. Her hair was short, straight, and black. Typical of everyone else around her. No, that wasn't true. Most girls did something fancy with their hair. Lita kept it just below her ears for simplicity. Her brown eyes were normal, too. Except that they were unadorned with make-up. She wore no jewelry.

"Schmitt, please translate…"

Blah, blah, blah. She kept her rolling eyes to herself. This was all so pointless.

She looked out the window after she'd translated the verse perfectly. Well duh, she thought. She'd learned the two languages side by side when she was little. It's not like she was some super genius. Sure, she was smart enough, but it wasn't anything astronomical. Not like Yamada Ichiro.

Lita could like him, could even date him, if she wanted. She shrugged to herself. Whatever. He certainly wasn't worth chasing, even if he was the smartest guy in school. She swore to herself that she would never be the one who did the chasing. And besides, there were better things to do than to worry about boys.

Lita had been studying witchcraft. Nothing had worked so far, but that didn't stop her from trying. Everything from Ouija boards to séances to demons… all of it fascinated her. What was real? What was simply ancient morality fodder? She had to know.

The lunch bell rand, clanging about in her ears. Like a bullet she shot up and left the room. In her wanderings outside, she spotted a black notebook, discarded in the grass. Picking it up, she began to read the rules, written in English.

"Death Note. Hmmm… The human whose name is written in this note shall die."

She closed her eyes in annoyance. Closing the notebook, she tossed it back into the grass behind her.

"As if," she smirked. She started to walk away, but stopped herself. "Might as well bring it home and test it out," she figured. She turned around and grabbed it. The bell to return to class rang abruptly, and Lita hurriedly stuffed the Death Note in her messenger bag, not even noticing that she'd missed her bag completely. As she ran back into the building, the notebook lay on the grass behind her.

The crew came back to their posts from their lunch break to find that not only had the Death Note appeared, but upon rewinding the surveillance cameras, they found that someone else had discovered its existence.

* * *

A/N: And here we go! Who is this girl that tried to take the Death Note? What's up with the people L chose for his crew? Which one did he pick to retrieve the Death Note? How will he explain to the world his odd fascination with this stupid black notebook that's probably a prank? Oh man, let the fun begin!

I do believe some thanks are in order. **Geenie Ate Me**, **Lite Reader**, and** SmashQueen**, thanks ever so much for your reviews! I hope you come back to continue reading! Ooh, and if you have any ideas about where this is going, I'd love to hear them!


	3. The Importance of Being Talia

**Story**: Just a Dream  
**Chapter**: 2 - "Prevention"  
**Part**: A - "The Importance of Being Talia"

* * *

_"Death Note. Hmmm… The human whose name is written in this note shall die."_

-

Talia Richardson held the Death Note in her hands, trying to understand. The six of them were crowded around a computer, waiting for the call from the boss to come through.

"To tell you the truth, Kainen thought the boss had snapped when he hired us to get this thing," Kurt mouthed off.

"It was obviously important to him," George interrupted with a slow, deliberate cadence. "The boss doesn't do anything without a reason."

"Seems useless to me. A notebook some kid decided to write some bogus prank on? Yeah, okay."

"Because it can't be real," Sue chimed in as she packed up the cameras. "That's impossible."

"So many rules," muttered Talia. "Why would someone outline a prank this detailed?"

"Exactly so schmucks like you would sit there and wonder if it was a prank or not. Gimmie it!"

Kurt made a grab for it, but Talia was quicker. She wrapped a plastic bag around it and stuffed it away in her pack. "No. That was the one thing the boss stressed to me above all else. Don't let anyone else touch it, he said. So I won't.

"But we all saw that chick try to take it during lunch. Wouldn't it be pointless now to stop people from seeing it?"

But Talia just shook her head.

"We all made a mistake in leaving all posts unattended. We'll just have to answer to the boss for that," Jan explained.

"And just because we made one mistake, that doesn't mean we can make more. Boss obviously doesn't want other people getting their hands on this notebook," said Talia.

"Enough discussion," cued Sue as the call came through the computer. It was time to report their success, and their failure.

-

"You said a girl touched the notebook before you did?" L's distorted voice rang through the room.

Talia nodded dismally, knowing he could see them, but they couldn't see him. Back in his room, L put his thumb to his mouth in thought. "That might make things difficult, especially when it comes to ownership. May I see?"

Talia opened her bag and pulled out a plastic bag.

"A plastic bag around it? Good thinking. I'm glad you took my directive to heart."

"Sir?" She could hold it in no longer. "Is it real?"

L watched all six of them from the web cam. Talia looked frightened by the truth but frustrated by the lack of answers. He couldn't answer her question truthfully at the moment. Not with the others around. She would be able to hear it, eventually. He had chosen her to handle the Death Note for a reason. He thought back to her interview.

-

"Miss Natalia Richardson," Mrs. Kainen had called from within the dark room. Talia entered and sat in the chair that was set in the clichéd spot light.

"Uh…" she stuttered. "Just Talia." She didn't bother looking around. Quite suddenly, a bright light turned on in front of her. It was a computer monitor with absolutely nothing on its white background besides the letter L in a fancy font.

"Do you know why you are here?" said a distorted voice from the computer.

Talia bit her lip. "Well, as some sort of debriefing, I suppose."

"And what do you think you'll be debriefed on?"

She thought for a moment. "Well, this is a retrieval mission. I guess you'll tell me what it is we're bringing back, and what part I'm to play in it."

"Wouldn't you assume you'll be operating a camera?"

"Not necessarily. Mrs. Kainen said a team of six was needed, and there are only five cameras. The equipment operator could be the sixth one, just to make sure everything keeps working, but she could also be manning a camera while in advisory capacity for the equipment. The sixth person would have a different task." Talia's eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. What was this L guy trying to pull?

L had already deduced that she would be the one he'd send to pick up the actual Death Note based on the test he'd already put the six through without their knowledge. He sent them each letters that had nothing to do with the mission or even L himself, but they'd each been asked not to disclose the contents of their letters. They were things like the details of a sale at the pet store or the revelation of the answers to the crossword puzzle from last week's newspaper. All of them had told each other. All except Talia. And, so far, L was confident he'd picked the right team member, especially with this show of logic.

"You're right. You will be debriefed on what you're retrieving. You will be the only one to handle it. I'm afraid I may have to stress that you let _no one else_ handle it." A picture flashed on the screen. It was a penciled drawing of the Death Note.

"Seriously?" she said aloud.

"Seriously," L replied. She hadn't been anticipating an answer. "This is an artifact of great value to me. Please, do not mess this up."

"Why me? What did I do to deserve this trust?" she asked. Almost directly after she asked, however, her eyes grew wide. "The letters."

"Yes, Talia. The letters. You've proved your worth from something that small. You can now be trusted with larger details."

-

L stopped remembering and sighed at the sight of the six of them. Talia deserved to know. Especially if the shinigami was going to show itself to her. But he couldn't tell her now. "Perhaps. We suspect it's more a link to someone who's killing people and putting their name in that notebook." That sounded like a valid statement, didn't it? "That's why I want so few people to touch it. We don't want the fingerprints disturbed."

Understanding dawned on all their faces, except Talia's. 'She is a quick one,' L surmised.

"The mission's accomplished, then?" she asked.

"Not exactly. George, can you stay in Japan and discover everything you can about the girl who touched the notebook first? One camera will be left with you, and if you find her address, we'll set up auditory trackers around her home."

"Yes, boss," George replied. "Why am I spying on her, though?"

'People have got to stop asking me questions and learn to trust me,' L thought quickly. "She looked as though she may have known something connected to the murder case involving the Death Note. We can't know for sure unless you do reconnaissance for us."

George nodded, and looked as though he had nothing else to say. Finally, a relief.

"As for the rest of you, you are to return back to headquarters along with the notebook immediately."

-

Lita looked out the window, again, daydreaming about being anywhere else. 'I think I'll test my Death Note on my teachers," she joked to herself. 'But what if it worked?' a small voice asked in the back of her head. She shrugged it off. Of course it wouldn't work. That was impossible.

"Impossible!" she screamed to herself once she'd gotten home and into her room. "It was just there!" She'd opened her bag and found the Death Note missing. More than that, she remembered looking at the spot she thought she picked it up from. It was no longer there. 'Who in their right mind would've picked up such a piece of junk!?' She huffed and threw herself on her bed. 'It was mine, and someone just snatched it right off the ground.' She crossed her arms and pouted. "I should've checked to make sure I still had it once I got into class!" she said aloud to herself.

"You can say that, again," a voice came from the corner of her room.

* * *

**A/N**: Lovely! I love readers! ♥'s to those of you who've faved this story, put in on your alerts, or reviewed!!

**Starr Sparks**: Thanks for the review! Yeah, I didn't like Light too much, either. But I don't think you're supposed to. However, Light's not gone, even if he technically doesn't exist. I'm glad you like the way I write L. It's so hard!!!

**Kuno256**: I'm glad you prefer Lita to Raito. Lita's a little bit more of a smart alec, still adept at blending in, but you catch her cynicism right off the bat, whereas Raito's very idealistic. That's a fantastic idea, dragging Yamada into it!!! O.O I'm totally giving you a whole lot of credit-munchies. (Can you tell I'm kinda making this up as I go along… heh heh ^_^;;) Thanks for reviewing!

**LuckyBlackCat**: Thank you so much for reviewing! One thing that stood out about L was the way his brain worked in percentages. I've seen stories that incorporate it far better than I do; I think they're in my favorites. :) Good call about Lita. How upset will you be if there's romance later? I mean, not enough to put in the genre heading, but enough to mess things up… Will that disgust you utterly?


	4. The Only Friend

**Story**: Just a Dream  
**Chapter**: 2 - "Prevention"  
**Part**: B - "The Only Friend"

* * *

_"You can say that, again!"_

_-  
_

Screaming, Lita shot up and away from the voice. While hearing the voice had made her jump, it was seeing its source that made her scream.

"Lita?" her mom called from behind the closed door. "Are you alright?"

"She won't be able to see me or hear me," the thing said, reaching for the bowl of fruit on Lita's desk.

Thinking quickly, she found her excuse. "Yeah. Just a spider. I got him, though." She mouthed to the thing, 'What are you doing?'

"Okay."

"Got any apples?" it replied. It seemed dissatisfied with the bananas and oranges.

'That was close…' "What… who are you?" she asked the thing.

He was tall and decayed. His eyes were yellow with red pupils, and his body looked incredibly starved. His clothing looked otherworldly, but that was nothing compared to his morbid, clownish face.

"I am Ryuk, a shinigami."

"No way! A death god? Seriously?" Lita replied. She'd heard about them, of course. How to be sure though… "Prove it," she demanded.

Ryuk was obviously taken aback by this. "What?"

"Prove to me that you're a shinigami, and not some crazy costumed robot my brother made."

He paused to think for a little bit and then nodded to himself. "How's this?" He hunched over and wings sprouted from his back. "That enough for ya?"

Lita's eyes opened in wonder. "Okay. So you're some kind of spirit. I'll buy that. How do I know you're a god of death, though?"

"I don't have to prove anything to you, silly human," he replied.

"Well then, I don't have to acknowledge your presence, or give you any apples," Lita spat back. With a cool turn of her head, she gave him the snub.

"You're really gonna make me do this, aren't you?" he sighed. He looked out her window. "Come here."

Intrigued, Lita joined him, looking out the window.

"Here. You know this guy?" he asked her. A man was walking down the sidewalk checking a notepad.

Lita shook her head. He didn't even look Japanese.

"Watch," he commanded with mischief. Ryuk pulled a black notebook from a holster on his belt. He opened it and pulled out a pen. He scribbled something quickly, but didn't speak. When he did, it was like he was counting. "37, 38, 39... 40!"

As if on cue, the man on the sidewalk collapsed, clutching his chest. Lita watched as people ran to the man's side. An ambulance eventually showed up and put the man's body in a bag. He was dead.

"Satisfied?" the shinigami offered.

Lita could say nothing, so she nodded.

"I just ended that human's life using my Death Note."

"The human whose name is written in this note shall die," she repeated back to him.

"Very good. See. You had an opportunity for one of these babies, but you let it slip. However, according to the rules, it's technically still yours, if you still want it."

"The one you're holding there?" she asked, pointing to the notebook in his hand.

"No! This one's mine." He pulled it close to him. "The one you picked up at school."

"Where is it, then? Did you pick it up?"

Ryuk began to laugh. "Oh no. I didn't pick it up. Someone else did. Someone foreign."

"What!? How am I supposed to get it back then?"

"I don't know. If you don't want it, then say so."

"No way! I just need to figure out a way to get it back."

"Well, you do that. You've got four hundred and ninety days to figure it out. Otherwise, it's bye-bye ownership."

"Can you help me get it back?" she asked.

"Why would I do that? It's much more fun to watch you squirm and scheme and plot against people you don't even know."

"Damn shinigami."

-

"I don't want to tell him. You tell him," Kurt whined at Talia.

"You're the one they contacted. You should be the one to tell him."

"But I don't wanna tell him!"

Sue had had enough. "Oh shut up, you big baby. Just tell him---"

The computer screen flickered, shutting them all up. The distorted voice rang out. "I already know."

A hush descended upon the room.

"George Lewis, age 52, dead from a heart attack."

Talia paled to an ashy countenance. "Was it--?"

"Because of George's weight and age, there was a 78% chance he already had heart disease. Therefore, he had a 55% chance of having a heart attack naturally."

"But the fact that he was in front of that girl's house when it happened," Talia added.

"Does that mean anything? How could someone kill with a heart attack?" Kurt asked.

"If the cause of death is not specified, the person will simply die of a heart attack," Sue repeated.

"So that thing is real?" Bob inquired.

L looked at the stricken group before the computer. They didn't have to know. "While it's true he was in front of Lita Schmitt's house when he died, it's impossible for her to have killed using a Death Note, even if it were real. Yesterday, she examined the Death Note like she had never seen one before. So we can assume that because we have the only Death Note she's ever seen, she doesn't have a spare."

"What now, then?" Kurt asked angrily. "We chalk this up to a sad coincidence, no one killed George, and move on?"

"I didn't say no one killed him." All eyes flew to the screen. "I merely said that we know it wasn't Lita Schmitt who killed him."

"Who could've, then?" Talia asked.

Was this it, then? Kira had already acquired a Death Note? Was he trying to get one to Lita, and that's why he killed George? Did Lita know she was being investigated? Of course not. This had all happened too fast. L would have to be very careful not to overcomplicate this case. Light Yagami didn't exist. Therefore, no one in reality could go to the lengths he did to be cunning and devious. However, it would not do to underestimate anyone, either. His dream may have given him some advantages, but in the end, it really just made things all the more complicated.

-

Lita stared at her ceiling, trying to make sense of the little note pad beside her. It was the note pad the man had been checking when he'd been in front of her house. It had her name and address on it.

She hadn't been lying when she told Ryuk she didn't know the man. But whoever he was, he had known Lita. Was he some kind of stalker? Had he picked up her Death Note?

Ryuk sat in the corner of her room, eating apples out of the wicker bowl on her desk. She'd asked if he could at least go and find the Death Note for her, but he stressed that he followed the owner around, not the Death Note. He also informed her that he wasn't on either side, and that if she lost ownership of the Death Note, it wasn't a problem for him. It actually would mean a change in scenery. Frustrated, Lita had pelted an apple at him as hard as she could, but he simply caught it in his mouth and ate it.

-

"We're getting nowhere, boss!" Kurt whined to the computer.

"Nothing is happening, you're right about that," L commented. He was squatting on the ground of his apartment, holding a rather large piece of cheesecake.

"No offense, sir," started Jan, "But this whole thing isn't making very much sense."

He sighed, once again realizing that he couldn't tell them everything. "Can you all just trust that what we're doing is important?"

He could justify it to himself. If this whole thing stops the thousands of people from dying, it was worth it. But was he doing this to stop his own death? He was childish and hated losing. His death in his dream had meant that Light had won, even if temporarily. Was this all just to prove that Light had gotten lucky? That, now that L had the upper hand (and the Death Note) this early in the game, L would certainly come out triumphantly alive? But Light didn't exist. Light would not see his triumph. He wouldn't goad him for becoming lackadaisical in his depression, wouldn't spend the countless hours helping him search for the answers to the Yotsuba Kira. He wouldn't be there, when L really did die. He wouldn't watch with concern until the last second, and then flash his victorious smirk over L's dying body. Why was he getting so caught up on this? Light was a twisted sociopathic megalomaniac. The world was 100% better off without him. L should've been grateful that Light was just a figment of his imagination in dreamland.

And yet, he had been L's only friend.

* * *

**A/N**: *phew* So now, I'm not ahead. You should know that I'm kind of lost concerning where it should go from here. I have a general idea of what's going to happen down the road, but I don't know how to get there! Kinda like a brick wall, only worse. But don't fret too much. I'm meeting with a writer friend of mine, and she'll be able to brainstorm with me, and perhaps we'll come up with something epic. Haha. Please review!!

**LuckyBlackCat**: Oh yay, you respond!! Haha. Your review made me happy. Thank you. Should I have created another shinigami? Or do you think it works that it's Ryuk's extra Death Note? Hmmm… The problem I'm having now is that this story is supposed to be L centered, but the original characters are eating up time like no one's business! Grrr… Glad you're enjoying this, and I hope you like this chapter as well. ^_^


	5. Misunderstood

**Story**: Just a Dream  
**Chapter**: 3 - "Cursed"  
**Part**: A - "Misunderstood"

* * *

_Why was he getting so caught up on this? Light was a twisted sociopathic megalomaniac. The world was 100% better off without him. L should've been grateful that Light was just a figment of his imagination in dreamland. And yet, he had been L's only friend._

_-  
_

Lita had the countdown in her head. Six more months, and she'd be rid of this place forever. Forever. She could not wait to be out of high school.

"That boy over there waved at you. Aren't you going to wave back?" Ryuk teased, interrupting Lita's mantra of negative thoughts.

Lita glanced over, and saw Yamada Ichiro waving. She rolled her eyes in response and looked away, shaking her head. She was even less interested in him now that this Death Note business had gotten out of hand.

"Cold. But he doesn't look put off," Ryuk supplied.

Lita wrote him a reply on the scratch paper in front of her. _And I care why? HE thinks that just because he's number one, every girl should be falling at his feet._

"So that's the smartest kid in your class?" Ryuk inquired, eyeing the boy.

_You could say that. He's smartest when it comes to working the system._

"I see."

The last thirty seconds of the day trudged on so slowly for Lita. When that final bell rang, Lita let out a huge sigh of relief and bolted out of the classroom.

"Hey, Lita! Wait up!" she heard behind her. It wasn't Ryuk.

Looking over her shoulder, Lita wanted to scream in frustration. "Can I help you?" she responded formally to Ichiro.

"I was just wondering what you were doing next weekend."

It was out of her mouth before she could stop it. "I'm extremely busy unearthing a Death Note, an ancient mythological artifact far too powerful for you to comprehend." So she said it with a sarcastic tone that said, "I'd rather be doing anything else than hanging out with you."

He blinked a couple times in befuddlement. Then, to her utter dismay, he laughed.

"I guess I really should just accept the rejection, but something tells me you're really not as mean as you make yourself out to be."

Was this guy for real? "You can't be serious."

"What? I figured you could use a friend. It doesn't look like you really click with anyone."

"Maybe that's because I don't want to," Lita replied. She started walking towards her bus stop, but he followed behind her.

"Lita." His tone became serious. "Everyone needs friends. Especially those who think they don't."

"How do you know I don't have any other friends? Look, Yamada, you don't know me. I intend to keep it that way."

With that, Lita spun on her heel and sped away. "Is he following?" she murmured a little later.

"Nope. He turned and went the other way," Ryuk answered.

She sighed in relief. Why did people not understand about wanting to be left alone? It drove her nuts. When she got home, she heard the familiar beeps and whirs that told her that her brother was tinkering with something. Lita went straight to her room and pulled out the foreigner's notepad. The page with her name and address was right up front, as Lita tore out the blank pages before it. She'd spent enough time analyzing the page with her information, now she was going to scour the rest.

Amazingly enough, there was quite a bit of information in this notepad. Lita concluded that he was part of the reason the Death Note was no longer in her possession. He had known the Death Note was going to be available, and picked it up. There were also coordinates, longitude, latitude. Turning on her computer, Lita tried to visualize the coordinates in her head. It couldn't have been in Japan. She used her mapping program, and punched in the numbers.

England.

No way.

If her Death Note was in England, this was going to be a lot more difficult than she'd originally planned.

-

That night, Talia stayed late, watching the records of George's death. She hadn't known his last name was Lewis. When L introduced them to each other, he had given them different last names. One more layer of protection against the Death Note. But something wasn't right. In the list of affects the coroner returned to them, there wasn't one mention of George's notepad. Talia noticed that he'd write different notes in there as he felt he was losing his memory. That notepad hadn't been given back. Did L know? Talia resolved to ask him when he called tomorrow. He probably did know, but it couldn't hurt to reaffirm it. Who knows, maybe L intercepted the notepad himself.

L stared at the myriad of screens before him. Cameras were placed around HQ to keep an eye on the retrieval team. He was beginning to get very uneasy about keeping this same group of people. He would've sent them home days ago if they hadn't let that girl touch the Death Note first. But what was done was done. They'd just have to make due from here.

One screen flashed with movement. Talia was going through recent events records. What was she trying to understand? The concerned look on her face said she was trying to make sense of something. Perhaps she was figuring out that George's notepad hadn't been returned. That was a fairly easy observation to make.

Something about her was making L eye her suspiciously. While she was quick to pick up schemes or half-truths, she had really exhibited none of the intelligence she was slated to have. And if that part of her file was fabricated, how much else wasn't quite true? Did she know how to protect herself? Did she know any protocol at all? Was she even a legitimate detective? She had proven that she was trustworthy with a letter. Had she been given help on it? Was her wide-eyed honesty all just an act this whole time?

"Quillsh?" L called. "Please arrange a chat between me and Mrs. Kainen."

* * *

**A/N**: So the characters have taken the story and run with it. Just saying. I had a really horrible idea, because it wasn't fitting at all with anything. I started writing it, and the characters made it fantastic. Honestly, it totally wasn't me. lol.

Okay, so some gratitude is owed, I believe...

**LuckyBlackCat**: Oh good, as long as you say so. ;) I didn't take to Near or Mello much either. L is really the coolest. I'm his friend. You can have him when I'm done! Haha. So, I don't think he'll be dying in this story. However, I'm no longer in control, so I can't promise anything. Srsly.

**Kuno256**: Yes, compare her to Misa... you'll find... NOTHING! I couldn't stand Misa. Oh man, I hated her with a passion!!! GRRRRRRrrr... But I'm glad you're enjoying this story!

**ZomgKelly**: Glad you like it. Thanks for putting it on alert and reviewing every chapter!! Don't feel stupid. It could've been anyone. Enjoy this next part!

Reviewing makes me happy!!


	6. Lurking in Doorways

**Story**: Just a Dream  
**Chapter**: 3 - "Cursed"  
**Part**: B - "Lurking in Doorways"

* * *

_"Please arrange a chat between me and Mrs. Kainen."_

_-  
_

Talia switched off her screen. She was going to head home. L had a camera placed on the Death Note, so that if anything were to happen to it, L would know. She imagined that if someone broke into her apartment, she'd be notified.

Talia got her bike out of the rack and rode home. She resolved to think about anything but the case. It was making her head hurt.

She turned onto her block and noticed a shadow near her flat. Cautiously, she hung back, keeping her bike with her.

"Can I help you?" she called out to the form.

The shadow shifted and Talia recognized him as Kurt. "Oh, it's just you, Kurt," she said with a sigh of relief. "You had me worried there for a second."

"Did I?" he asked.

"Yeah! You should know better than to lurk in doorways. It's creepy."

He stuffed his hands in his pockets, looking tense and anxious. "Okay, look, Talia. I need to talk to you."

"Is everything okay?"

He looked really nervous. "Well, see, some stuff has gone down in my life that really needs fixing, you know?"

Talia listened, but said nothing.

"And it sure would make things go a lot better if certain people… disappeared."

"You lost me. What does this have to do with me?"

"I need the you-know-what," he whispered to her.

Her jaw almost literally dropped. "Are you insane? I can't let you use it."

"No, I'm not asking you to let me use it. I'm asking you to give it to me."

"Definitely not. No. How can you even ask such a thing?" It registered to Talia why Kurt looked so worried.

"I was hoping I wouldn't have to use this, Talia. But I know there's something you don't want anyone else knowing."

"You're going to blackmail me?"

Kurt sighed. "If that's what's going to get me that notebook. Yeah. I looked at your file. And your mother's maiden name looked conspicuously similar to that of someone who already works for L. Kainen? That it?"

"You don't know anything!" Talia denied.

"True. Your actual name is well hidden from me. But if you don't give me that notebook right now, not only will I expose this fraudulent nepotism to L and the media, but…" He drew a gun from his pocket. "I'll end your life. L might even hire me to do it."

Fear hit Talia like a punch to her unsuspecting stomach. "You wouldn't," was all she could manage.

"Please," he pleaded. "Don't test it. I'm in a desperate situation. Corner a feral animal and things get ugly."

She did know that. Kurt took her silence as an agreement.

"Go on inside, and I'll follow to take the thing."

"You can't," she interrupted.

"Talia, didn't we just--"

"No, no. You can't just take it. L has it watched."

Kurt swore under his breath as Talia led him to the camera in her kitchen.

"It doesn't see anything but the Death Note and a bit of counter. There's no audio feed."

"Then you'd better figure out a way to give it to me without alerting L." He unlocked the safety on his gun and held it to her temple.

"Okay," she whimpered. "Please. Put that away. I'll… I'll think of something. But please. I can't think when you're threatening me like this."

Kurt removed the gun and took a couple steps back. "I don't want to kill you here, now. That wouldn't give me enough time to get away. So, I'll be watching to make sure you don't let L know what's going on.

"I won't tell him."

She glanced around the kitchen in search of inspiration. Her office supplies lay strewn about her kitchen table. A black notebook lay on top. Her mind raced with an idea. She'd make a fake. A fake would give Kurt enough time to leave, but wouldn't stall them completely. But L would wonder why she picked up the Death Note and put it back. No, she needed a reason to move it out of the camera's sight for a second.

"Hurry it up," Kurt urged.

What she was about to do hit her worse than the previous fear. L obviously felt that this Death Note was really important, she thought while grabbing the black notebook. As she copied the lettering, she began to cry. L trusted her with the Death Note for a reason. It meant so much to him that it not get into the wrong hands. And here she was, simply giving it away to wrong hands. Her betrayal caught in her throat like a lump. She had to do this. He was going to kill her and take the Death Note anyway.

Her hands were shaking so bad she stopped writing on the plain notebook. She was trying to copy the rules in the front cover from memory. If she disturbed the Death Note at all, Kurt would think she was alerting L. It would mean the end of her life.

She put the notebook and pen down to make herself a cup of tea to calm her nerves. She poured the hot milk into her cup, careful not to spill it. Spilling. That was it. If she spilled something on the Death Note, she'd have to move it to clean it up.

Talia poured some tea on the back of the fake Death Note and dabbed it up. She set her mug down right out of the camera's sight and got napkins ready. Her crying had become full out sobbing at this point. Having taken a couple seconds, she picked up her mug like a lifeline.

She wanted to apologize to L. In person. Just go up to him and tell him everything she was planning. How she had no choice about the Death Note. How she probably shouldn't have even been on L's task force to begin with because she was sure her psychological evaluation would've labeled her mad.

But she wasn't mad. At least, she didn't think so. No, she was just prone to stressful situations. However that worked.

As her sobbing grew louder, she again wished that L had wiretapped her apartment.

"Shut up and hurry, will you? I haven't got all night!"

This startled Talia into dropping the mug.

* * *

**A/N**: Because I love you all. ♥


	7. TGIF

**Story**: Just Dream  
**Chapter**: 4 - "The Switch"  
**Part**: A - "TGIF"

* * *

_"Shut up and hurry, will you? I haven't got all night!"_

-

L pulled a knot of cherry stem out of his mouth, a pleased smile on his face. He loved pulling that trick. The screens above him weren't showing anything interesting, unless one counted the light shifting quite a bit in the camera that watched the Death Note. So, that was the monitor he watched.

He had Quillsh issue the checks for the team. It was time to let them go on with their lives. He could keep the Death Note with him, and then he'd be able to discover any secrets it may have on his own time. He didn't know how long it would take him to find out how to stop the Death Note's power, but he would explore every angle. Except killing people like Light had. Because that would be wrong.

His eyes glued to the screen as he witnessed an explosion of porcelain. Tea went everywhere, on the Death Note, on the camera, over the counter. L resisted the urge to sigh. Because Talia Richardson wasn't who her file said she was, there were numerous ways this little scenario could've come up. As he saw the napkins come out to wipe up the spill, his mind went over all them.

It could've been that she was simply clumsy. Her careless mistake in Japan would be evidence to that. Her behavior struck him as the sort that belonged to someone with their head in the clouds not paying attention to what was going on around them.

But what if it was all an act? He thought this out as she removed the Death Note to pick up the pieces of porcelain around it. What if she had been acting like that this whole time so that L would _think_ she was quite capable of making a clumsy mistake with something so important. Then she could do something with the Death Note like lose it, and L would be none the wiser.

Well, he certainly wasn't going to fall for that trick. If the Death Note did not reappear on the screen soon, he'd send Quillsh to retrieve it.

In his monitor, L could see Talia's face. She bent toward the camera to wipe off its lens, as tea had splashed onto it. It was still streaky, but at least it was easier to see through than the great globs of tea. L did not like the look of Talia's face. Her eyes were puffy and watery, and her cheeks were as colorless as paper. As the notebook came back on screen, L was 55% convinced it was an accident, and that she was probably prone to them because of stress. He determined that he'd have Quillsh ask her what happened in the morning.

With the fake in place, Talia approached Kurt. She shoved the real thing at him. "It's been said that those who use the Death Note are cursed. You should know before you ruin your life." He allowed her to push him out of her flat, and she slammed the door behind him. She than ran to her room and cried herself to sleep.

Talia slept horribly. Nightmares plagued her whenever her eyes closed. Great mutilated humans who could fly terrorized her. Normal people with red eyes laughed at her confusion. And a meeting with her parents. "Do you have any idea why Natalia could be having these hallucinations?"

She woke up with a start fifteen minutes before her alarm went off. Relieved to be awake and out of the nightmares, she went about her morning routine. When it came time to leave, she grabbed her bike and took her normal route to work. Traffic was notoriously bad, so when Talia arrived fifteen minutes late, she was discouraged and ready to call it quits for a day that hadn't even technically started yet.

Entering her task force's HQ, she noticed no one was there. She expected Kurt to be long gone, but everyone else should've been there by now.

"Your team has been released," Quillsh announced, scaring Talia out of her skin.

"Who are you!?" she said quickly, reacting quite without thinking. This man had a hat and trenchcoat hiding his face. She'd never seen him before, and now he had gotten into headquarters.

"I am Walter. I work for L. I can prove it to you by telling you that I know of the Death Note and its power. And George's notepad was not returned with the rest of his things," he responded in a very gentle way. His voice sounded older, like someone's grandfather.

"Why are you here?" she asked, still not completely convinced.

"I came early to give out the team's paychecks and to wrap up any loose ends. L has determined that you have done the best you can, and it's time for you all to move on. Which you can do, after I retrieve the Death Note."

Tried as she might, Talia couldn't see any holes in this guy's story. "I can bring it back for you," she offered.

Walter smiled. "No, I'll escort you home and take it from there. I appreciate your offer, but I have to be the only one to touch it now that your part to play in this is complete."

Talia nodded. "I understand."

Walter took Talia's bike and hooked it to the back of the fancy car outside HQ. Talia didn't know why she hadn't noticed it parked out front like that before. Getting inside the car, she tried to steady herself. "What's L going to do once he has the Death Note?" she asked, trying not to sound too anxious.

"He's going to test it."

Talia's eyes opened wider. "T-to see if it's real?"

Walter nodded. "If it is real, L has an entire process he wants to put the Death Note through to find out how to stop it from hurting anyone."

Talia let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. By real, Walter had meant that it could kill people. Talia had meant real versus her fake that was now in front of the tea streaked lens.

He waited a beat. "Is everything alright, Miss Johnson?" he asked.

What could he have seen? "Yeah. Everything's fine. Why do you ask?" she answered quickly.

"You look a tad peaked. We noticed there was a disturbance involving the Death Note last night."

Her stomach dropped through the floor. "I... I was overtired. I get jumpy when I haven't slept."

"Quite understandable," Walter replied. "It's a good thing, then, that you won't have to worry about the Death Note anymore." He put the car in park in front of Talia's flat. "Here we are. Please take me to the Death Note," he requested.

Nodding, Talia led him through her flat to the notebook. Of course she'd have to worry about it. Did he really think she'd forget about it once they found that this notebook was a fake? Well, he wouldn't think that because he couldn't know the notebook was a fake, yet. If he knew, L would probably have taken Talia into custody. Pinching the bridge of her nose, Talia forced herself to stop thinking about this whole mess so deeply.

Walter pulled out gloves and a large envelope. Dropping the notebook into the envelope, Walter then placed a smaller envelope beneath the camera.

"What is that?" Talia asked.

"It's your paycheck. Have a nice day, Miss Johnson," Walter bid her as he left her flat.

Talia opened the envelope and couldn't stop the well of tears that sprang up when she saw the large number in the dollar amount box.

-

Friday came for Lita for slower than it should have. However, she was still grateful it was here at all. An entire weekend free from this building. She turned the lock on her locker and spotted something that hadn't been there before.

It was a black notebook. Lita's heart sped up. Would they have returned it? Was it really her Death Note?

Except that it was an obvious fake, down to the lack of rules inside the front cover and the price tag on the back. Feeling insulted, Lita grabbed the notebook and slammed her locker shut.

Ichiro stood there, smiling at her. "Looks like you've unearthed your Death Note."

Lita gave him the glare of the century. She felt like she wanted to strangle something.

"That means you're free this weekend, right?"

That did it. Furious, Lita ripped a pen out from her backpack. She threw the notebook open and scribbled something down quickly into it. She put her pen back and whipped the notebook at Ichiro's head. With an angry huff, she stormed away, incredulous about the depth of his stupidity.

Ichiro opened the notebook to her scribble and read it: Yamada Ichiro. "So death threats are your way of showing affection? That's cool!" he called after her.

* * *

A/N: Isn't Ichiro great? LOL. More fun stuff like this coming up, folks! From silly boys to shinigamis who can't keep secrets and a strange, odd man who tends to suck on his thumb while he's thinking. I just want to clarify something for everyone: L's dream would've been exactly like the anime episodes. His dream was a continuous stream of the anime. If you noticed, he was asleep long enough to watch them all. So L knows everything that was in the anime. You know those kind of dreams, where you watch yourself go through stuff but you're also experiencing it at the same time. Yeah, that's the idea.

Thanks to everyone who's put this story on their alerts or favorites. ^_^ That makes me very happy. But you know what makes me happier? REVIEWS!!

**ZomgKelley**: Srsly? I had Kurt being WAYYYY more evil in my first imagining of this scene going down. I tried to show that he was pathetic more than evil, but eh. Whatever happens. It's out of my control. LOL. Yeah... poor Lita. But yeah, thanks much for the reviewing!! I hope you like this next chapter!

**K-Danuve**: I'm proud of you, as well. I looked but you only had the one story, so I didn't have to read any more. LOL. Thanks for the review.

**Kitty**: I'm glad you're enjoying my story. Thank you so much for reviewing. And honestly? It's out of my hands. The characters, I swear, they jumped my idea and ran with it. I hope anything they come up with won't disgust you entirely.


	8. Shuffle

**Story**: Just a Dream  
**Chapter**: 4 - "The Switch"  
**Part**: B - "Shuffle"

* * *

_"So death threats are your way of showing affection? That's cool!"_

L continued to watch the feed from Talia's home. Quillsh gave the signal, putting the check under the camera, so he would be on his way back. L calculated how long it would take him to go back to Talia's home. His mind worked the numbers quickly. There was a very good chance Talia was not exactly as loyal as her file toted her to be. Therefore, the chance she worked some funny business with the spill on the Death Note was very high. However, if she wasn't any sort of agent at all, there was a very good chance she was simply a bumbling idiot. Given her timid and meek behavior, both scenarios rounded off at about 50%.

Either way, L would know for sure once the Death Note reached his hands. His musings were interrupted by a phone call. It was Mrs. Kainen.

"Alright, Miss Talia Richardson. Time to find out who you really are," he said to himself as he answered the phone.

-

Kurt shifted in his seat on the plane. He was on his last leg of his journey to Japan. The loan sharks on his tail were dead, that much he trusted. But these next people on his list, he couldn't leave their deaths to chance. He needed to see them die. Though they shared blood, Kurt felt they didn't deserve to be his family. He would end them. The people who made his childhood hell. He would send them there. Personally.

-

After the interview with Kainen, L understood that much more. He got up to grab himself a cup of tea before continuing the conversation.

"Mrs. Kainen, I appreciate your quick assessment of the situation. In the future, however, I'd prefer you tell me your ideas instead of manipulating everything yourself," he said as he sat down again in his crouch.

"I am very sorry. I didn't think you'd--"

"Listen to you? Trust your story? Mrs. Kainen, I may have deduction skills far beyond that of most people, but I don't presume to know everything."

"Yes, sir."

He hung up on her and turned to his outside cameras. "Now, where is Quillsh?"

-

Lita punched her pillow in frustration. She had nothing to go on to find her Death Note, and both Ichiro and Ryuk were being idiots.

"Can we play a video game?" Ryuk asked.

Each syllable of Lita's response was punctuated by another pound to the pillow. "Just. Play. By. Your. Self."

"But it's more interesting when I play against you. You get so funny when you lose."

Lita whipped the pillow at the shinigami, but it went through him like he wasn't even there.

"See? It's fun when you throw things."

"I won't play with you."

"Light played video games with me," he complained.

Lita looked at the shinigami in curiosity. "Light? Was he the previous owner of my Death Note?"

Ryuk stopped fumbling with the game system in horror. Had he actually just said that?

"Uhhh… yeah. He was."

"I thought the previous owner was a child named Taru?" Lita distinctly remembered the story about the small boy and the Death Eraser.

"Light was the boy before him," the shinigami answered quickly. "Taru didn't have the Death Note long enough for me to want to play video games."

"So what did Light do with the Death Note? He obviously had it for a while. Did he kill bullies? Use the Death Note for money?"

Ryuk became very uncomfortable. He didn't want to talk about Light any more. He shouldn't have brought him up in the first place. If anybody in this realm had any idea what had transpired, Ryuk would be done for.

"Lita!" Her mother's distressed voice came from below.

Ryuk couldn't believe how lucky he was to have such a fine distraction as Lita jumped off her bed and ran to her mother's side.

-

Quillsh opened the door and showed L the envelope in his hands.

"Do not get too comfortable," L warned.

"You suspect it's a fake." He hadn't needed to ask.

L nodded as he sipped his coffee. He had had to make it himself so it didn't really taste right. At a less important time, he'd have to ask Quillsh what he added to his coffee to make it so good. Besides the copious amounts of sugar. "I'm actually only 45% sure it's a fake. Talia Richardson's file discrepancy checks out. She is still the steady, loyal agent I chose to house the Death Note. But if my observations were correct about the rest of the team…" L reached into the envelope delicately and pulled out the Death Note by the very tips of his fingers. He carefully opened the front cover. He never looked up, never batted an eyelash. His voice didn't even change at all. "Bring Natalia Richardson here immediately. Call her on your way out so that she can prepare to leave her flat for a long time. Cover her face when you get to her. Meanwhile, notify the authorities that we are looking for Kurt Watson, our number one suspect. Assure them that he's armed and dangerous."

"Consider it done." And with that, Quillsh was gone.

L's eyes were fixed on the inside cover where Talia had begun writing the rules. Below the last line was a message.

_Kurt Watson has Death Note 21:13:00._

This little bit of information would help L very much as he now knew how long Kurt had been on the run. If L was correct, and he was correct 97.3% of the time, Kurt would still be on the airplane. He would have to remember to thank Talia when she arrived. He made a face as he sipped his coffee again. It had gotten cold.

* * *

A/N: Oh you people are loverly! Let me just say that those of you who put this on your alerts or favorites are on my favorites list of people. :) But you know what's better? REVIEWS!

**K-Danuve**: She wishes it was real! lol. And because L is L, he's already suspected it a little, and we'll see how she gets herself out of trouble with him. :) Thanks for reviewing!

**ZomgKelley**: You just made my day. That's exactly the reaction I was looking for when it came to Ichiro. ^_^ Oh what did I do to deserve you? lol. Thank you for the review.

**kitty**: lol, it's okay. I appreciate your trying to stop them. It normally turns out a whole lot better when I don't try to hold control like that. I'm glad you're enjoying this so far. Thanks for revewing!!

See? Reviews make me happy. Please leave one! I want to know... your conspiracy theories, your anger at my utter lack of writing talent (XD), your SQUEEs about L (Or Light, as he was mentioned in this chapter as a plot twist)... anything!

* * *


	9. Flight

**Story**: Just a Dream  
**Chapter**: 5 - "Connections"  
**Part**: A - "Flight"

Part dedicated to ZomgKelley for her extreme awesomeness. (All others don't feel left out. Your time will come.)

* * *

_'Kurt Watson has Death Note 21:13:00.'_

Talia had composed herself enough to check for flights booked out of the UK. Kurt wouldn't have been stupid enough to use his own name. Almost, but not quite. She had managed to limit her search considerably when her phone rang.

Answering it, she felt her stomach do that plummeting thing, again.

"This is Walter. I'm on my way to pick you up and take you to a secure location. Pack for a long stay. We know everything." And he hung up.

Everything? So L must've gotten her message. Breathing easier, Talia looked around her sparse flat.

She had no trinkets, no mementos, no pictures on her wall. She owned only one piece of evidence to her sentimentality, and that was a stuffed elephant on her dresser. In a way, she'd always been prepared for this. Moving quickly. She had some sort of connection to this place. She had lived here for a year and a half. She did not resent leaving it now, though. She was most definitely a target. That much was obvious. She was the only one who knew Kurt had the real Death Note. Now L knew. He was the last person Kurt would've wanted alerted. So her life was now in danger. The thought didn't upset her nearly as much as it did when he had the gun to her head.

The knock came far sooner than Talia had been expecting. Walter stood outside, a long cloak on his arm.

"Please put this on, and use the hood to conceal your face. I can't tell you where we're going, but you're going to have to hurry," he explained before she spoke.

Nodding, Talia grabbed her backpack and fastened the cloak around her neck, bringing the hood up over her head. She followed Walter out of her flat, where she had the distinct feeling that she would never step foot within it, again.

"So L knows it's a --"

Walter held up a hand to stop her mid-sentence. "You can ask all the questions you like once we're on our way," he advised as he opened the back door for her.

Closing it behind her, Walter quickly went in on the driver's side and pressed a button on the rearview mirror. A small red light began blinking. Putting the car in drive, Walter pulled away from Talia's home. "Yes," he spoke. "L knows it's a fake."

She nodded and leaned her head back against the seat. This was a mess. How could she ever make it up to them all? "Is there any way I can speak to L?" _To explain myself,_ she thought._ To apologize._

"I'm sure a computer can be arranged--"

"Actually," she interrupted. "Is there a way I could speak with him in person?"

As one, both Walter's and L's internal radars went off. L was watching and listening from the tiny camera in the rearview.

"And may I ask why you feel that's necessary?"

Talia took a deep breath. "I know this just upped any suspicion of me, but… I … I…" She struggled with it for a second. "I want to apologize."

"What?"

"I want to apologize to him for everything." Looking above her for strength, she ran through it in her head quickly. "Under normal circumstances, I'm very careful and detail oriented. To the point where a routine follow through could take me hours longer than normal agents. But for whatever reason… I messed this all up. All of it." She swallowed the lump in her throat. "I agreed to go out to lunch with everyone, even though I should've known I should've stayed to watch for the Death Note. I shouldn't have let that girl get to it first. I should've asked for more security for my apartment. I should've done so much… but mostly, I shouldn't have accepted this case. I wasn't qualified. I was nowhere near what L expects from his agents, but I chalked it up to his giving me a chance, but I screwed it up. I can't believe how much I've messed this up. I just… wanted t-to say I'm sorry." She hid her face in her hands, struggling to quell the emotion.

L watched this entire speech, not quite sure what to think. He was going to bring her to his safe house, anyway. Security was best for her, here, and he wanted to question her about what Mrs. Kainen described as, "what made her unique." As he worked out the logistics of his plan, he half-listened for Quillsh's response.

"L's identity is carefully hidden so that nothing can impede an investigation. An apology is not worth unveiling L."

Talia glanced down, knowing it had been foolish to ask.

"But I think L is already aware of your regret, and he won't hold it against you," he reassured.

L nodded in approval as he popped a candy into his mouth.

"He's… already aware?" Talia repeated. Was he watching her? Had he had audio feed on the Death Note? No, he wouldn't have let Kurt have the night to get away, and Walter would've known he wasn't picking up the real thing the first time around.

She wondered and mused, trying to play it all out in her head. She had hours to do so, as Walter was taking her somewhere deep within the English countryside. She watched out the window as the scenery grew more wild and unkempt. The houses were growing further and further apart.

They pulled up to a quaint cottage nestled in the hills. No one could be seen for miles.

"Where are we?" she asked, forgetting that Walter had stated that he couldn't tell her earlier.

"This is our safe house," Walter explained. "This is where L hides those who are temporarily in danger."

Walter turned off the car and opened the house up for Talia. He'd knocked once right above the doorknob. A brick in the wall slide away to reveal a number pad. Punching in a long and complicated series of numbers, Walter also lined his eyes up with the screen with the pad. It scanned his left eye. Talia heard a series of clicks, and Walter opened the front door, ushering her inside.

What should have been the living room (at least from the portrait window on the outside it _looked_ like a normal living room) was a topnotch security parlor. Talia had to walk through a metal detector, (she was grateful that her jeans had plastic buttons and ribbons instead of a zipper), and went through the rigamarole of having her iris and fingerprints scanned. When that was finished, she came out the other end of the security chamber to a room that actually looked like a normal house.

The cottage was deceptively large. Walter informed her that there were several lower levels, and that she'd be living on the second lower level. She was allowed to explore all three lower levels, if she liked.

Talia came to a room that had nothing else but a television screen, a computer, and a dining room table.

"This is where you'll work, if L needs you," Walter informed her.

"Do you think he'll need me?" she asked. "I mean, if I were him, I wouldn't trust me with anything else."

"He may. He won't waste a resource, and however many times you may have slipped up, he still believes you a resource. However--"

He was interrupted by a new voice. "Most of the grunt work will be done by me."

Talia hadn't been expecting anyone else to be here at the safe house. Of course, looking at this man, she could understand why he was here. He'd stick out in public like a sore thumb.

His black hair was a mess, as though no one had ever taught him how to use a comb. His eyes were large, his pupils dilated. The circles under his eyes told Talia he hadn't slept well in weeks, months, even. His posture reminded her slightly of a monkey.

Walter took a step behind Talia, hiding quite expertly the shock in his eyes. L mentally apologized. He must've forgotten to let him know this step of his plan.

"I'm Laz. And you're Talia." His voice sounded flat and monotone. He hadn't asked if she was Talia. He'd already known.

What an odd man. "Yes, yes, I am. Talia Richardson." She extended her right hand.

Laz cocked his head to one side slightly and just stared at the offered hand. "You must be more careful than that. The Death Note needs a name and a face. Never give out your real name."

Thinking quickly, Talia responded, "Then it's a good thing I didn't give you my real name, isn't it?"

Laz blinked. She got him. If he admitted to knowing that was her real name, it would punch a hole in his ruse. So he'd play the inexperienced detective, someone Talia could relate to. "Yeah, right. I just… well, I just assumed… L just told me never to give out my name. I don't know. I just work here." He put his forefinger to his mouth.

"Talia, let me show you to your room," Walter interjected before 'Laz' could say anything else. He took her down two flights of stairs. "This is where you'll be sleeping," he informed. "Is there anything I can get you?"

"No, thanks." Talia dropped her backpack on her bed, examining her space. She found the bookshelf to be well stocked with all sorts of things, not noticing that Walter had left. From books on police know-how, and criminal psychology to spy novels, Talia rolled her eyes at the stereotyping. However, when she looked closer, she found that one shelf had been dedicated to books nothing like the rest. Here lay _Deadbeat_, by Jim Butcher, _Jane Eyre_, by Charlotte Brontë, the _Odd Thomas _series, by Dean Koontz, _Lovely Bones_, by Alice Sebold; essentially, all her favorites. She wondered briefly how they had known, and how they set this up that fast. Pulling the newest Jim Butcher from the shelf (_Proven Guilty_ had come last May), she settled herself on her bed and began to read.

* * *

A/N: Yay! Plot! I love plot. And characters. And Death Note. And L. Also? L. Huzzah. Please review?

**Blues-harp Babysplit**: Thanks for review!

**kitty**: Awww, you make me blush. I love teh reviews. ^_^

**K-Danuve**: Dang straight I wouldn't tell you. What fun would that be? Well you think on it, and I hope that mah plot is not so transparent that everyone can see through it. ^_^ Thanks for reviewing, have a nice day!

**ZomgKelley**: Hehehehe. Oh mah goodness. So I'm giving you a virtual Cookie. You can eats it nao. (::) - your chocolate chip cookie. ^_^

**LuckyBlackCat**: Thanks for the review, and don't worry about it! I hope your holidays have been fun. I'm so glad the switch in camera thing seemed real. It took hours of hammering and beating the characters to make it work. Okay not really. But it was hard. Uhhh you'll see about Light soon.

**KatzaManson**: Thanks so much! L is pretty much teh coolest evar. Yis. Ummm you will learn of this realm and what's going on with Raito. And lemmie just say, it's awesome. ^_^

EXTRA FUN BIT (Not Associated with Just a Dream, but think of it as a Bonus:)

L stared at the mountain of envelopes on his desk. That was a lot of letters.  
Mrs. Kainen turned the corner and stopped dead at the sight of them. "L? What is all that?" she asked.  
Not looking at her, he responded, "Oh, just fan mail that Quillsh has forwarded to me. Here's a letter about a missing child. A small boy by the name of Timothy. I'd suggest calling the nearest collie. Here's another one inquiring about his father's murder. I'll tell him he should ask his uncle. And this one here... Hmmm..."  
"What is it, L? What are they asking you to solve?"  
"LOST."


	10. Laz

**Story**: Just a Dream  
**Chapter**: 5 - "Connections"  
**Part**: B - "Laz"

Part dedicated to K-Danuve for their awesome story, especially as I haven't had time to review. So, here you go!

* * *

_"I don't know. I just work here."_

Talia came to consciousness slowly without opening her eyes. It then took her several seconds to remember where she was. She was under the blankets, and she couldn't remember having gotten there. Had she fallen asleep on Harry? The wizard would be crushed. What time was it? She opened her eyes and jolted, sending her head under the covers.

That man from yesterday, she confirmed as she peaked her head out from the covers. Laz. He was sitting in the oddest crouch on a chair set up near her bed. He was watching her with a full on, wide-eyed stare, although she supposed he always appeared wide-eyed.

"You're awake."

Talia decided to deem him Captain Obvious. "What!? Why? What are you doing?" she rattled as she pulled the blankets tightly around her, even though she was fully clothed.

"Are you embarrassed?" he asked, sounding curious and not remorseful at all.

"Yes! Most people don't watch other people sleep. At least, strangers don't." Her cheeks flushed under his direct gaze. Why did she feel so exposed? Like every part of her being was laid bare before his dilated pupils?

"Most people don't scream in their sleep, either."

Talia blinked at him in confusion. "I… I was screaming?"

"Something about a death monster? Does that sound familiar to you?"

The flashes came back to her, one after the other. But she was no longer a child to be frightened by such foolishness. She reigned in her terror. "A common nightmare. I'm fine, now, though," she stressed.

"Hmmm…" was all Laz said.

"What time is it?" she asked, looking around her room but not finding a clock.

"It's about 22 hundred hours," he responded.

Talia groaned. She'd never be able to sleep through the night now. Something caught her attention, though. "Why military time?" she asked.

"Oh, we all like to use it. L is especially fond of it as it doesn't waste time with an AM or PM."

"So, you know L pretty well, then?" She sat up a little more, content that this man, however odd, would talk with her.

He put his finger to his mouth. "I suppose you could say that. I've been working here for a long time."

"What's he like?" Curious now, she didn't mind if her brown ponytail was mussed up.

"Well, in my opinion, he's really quite boring. Nothing like Eraldo Coil or even Deneuve." He smiled, and it was possibly the strangest thing Talia had ever seen. He looked younger and mischievous.

"I've heard of them. I never got to work with them, though."

"I hope you get to work with them after this mess is cleared up. I'll try to mention you to L so he can forward your name to them."

Talia gave a short, sarcastic laugh. "I don't think L would want to give my name to anybody but the unemployment agency," she mused.

"Why would you think that?"

"Let's just say it's my fault I've had to come here."

"Because of Kurt Watson?"

Talia gave this man a hard look. "Just how much do you know about that case?"

He shrugged, a frustratingly noncommittal action. "Oh, I've picked up bits here and there. Had to file some things that might've mentioned something to do with it." He stood up in one fluid motion and brought a tray over to the bed.

Talia hadn't even noticed it was in her room. She was sitting up now, she on the bed and Laz on the chair. Laz picked a slice of cheesecake from among the sweets.

"Please, have some cake," he gestured. He picked up his fork with two fingers. When he noticed Talia staring at him, he swallowed the bite of cake. "I did hear something about this case I'm rather curious about," he started.

Talia simply listened as she poured herself some tea.

"What did you change in your file that made L pick you?"

She ended up taking too big a gulp and had to spit some of the tea back into the cup. Her mouth was burned, now, and so was the cavity between her mouth and nose. "I didn't change anything," she denied. "Someone must've tampered with it. Maybe it was Kurt because he knew he could get one over on me."

"What did they change, though? Whoever did it," he amended.

She calmed herself down. Laz didn't seem to be accusing her. He was just curious. "Well, I think they changed the results of my psych evaluation."

He had not been expecting that. "Are you crazy?" It was all starting to fall into place, now.

"No… I just had… a couple bad experiences in school. Nothing too major, but it was dealt with rather harshly, and I sometimes still…" She stopped. Swilling her tea, she wondered how much she could tell Laz. After all, they were both in the safe house. Her first instincts were that L trusted him. Shaking that thought away, she remembered L must've trusted Kurt, too, to a certain degree.

Laz finished off his cake and was still staring at Talia. "Bad experiences? Let me guess. You fought back against a bully and the teachers didn't see the bully hit first," Laz guessed.

"Not at all," she responded. "I just had an overactive imagination."

"Oh? Concerning what? Death monsters?"

Talia had the determination to keep her reaction in check. It would've appeared as if he were mocking her, if there had been any trace of laughter in his eyes. But there was nothing. Just point blank nothing.

"I've heard of Death Monsters before," Laz continued. "They get their power to kill from a notebook. I think it's called a Black Notebook or something…"

"Are you talking about a Death Note?" she asked.

He nodded. "That was it. A Death Note. It's supposed to be nothing more than a Japanese myth, but I believe we know better."

Talia's jaw almost dropped. She was so thrown off that it was hard for her to think straight. She thought L had Walter do everything for him, and that Walter was the only one in his confidence. Yet this man knew more than any temporary agent should know. Was he some higher up lackey for L? Everything she told him would get back to L, she was sure. If L didn't know already, she corrected herself.

"There were two occurrences that … I don't know… set me apart? I guess one could say that." And she started to tell Laz the frightening tales of her childhood.

* * *

A/N: Yay for long breaks. Or... not so yay. I would like to thank K-Danuve, ZomgKelley, LuckyBlackCat, Michelle, and kitty for reviewing!! I'm hitting a snag on the ol' writer's block, so I'm hoping the next part won't be as long in coming. ^_^


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